


Unaltered Alterations

by Platinum_Mars



Category: DBZ - Fandom, Dragon Ball Xenoverse - Fandom, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Changing History, Gen, M/M, Mars is back at it again with the selfship fics this time Ft. Friends, Multi, Other, Trans/Nonbinary Characters, What-if Scenario, Yeah this is post-Infinite History arc and Fu is just vibing, Yeah we're gay keep scrolling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28440135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platinum_Mars/pseuds/Platinum_Mars
Summary: The work of the Time Patrol can get all too personal, especially when one's own history is involved. But what if it was Trunks' partner beside him when his timeline was attacked? How are they supposed to explain themselves when they change the course of history on purpose? And how is (Future) Gohan going to adjust to this new world and all the family he didn't know he had?
Relationships: Future Son Gohan/Future Austin, Future Son Gohan/Future OC|Self-Insert, Son Gohan/Austin, Son Gohan/OC|Self-Insert, Xeno|Future Trunks Briefs/Mars|Xeno Mars, Xeno|Future Trunks Briefs/OC|Self-Insert
Kudos: 1





	1. The First Change

**Author's Note:**

> Basically the start of a "What If" scenario where in Xenoverse 2 instead of a new Time Patroller being the focus, it's still Trunks' partner. History changes from there. Takes place post-Xenoverse 1, post-Infinite History arc (Fu's arc) and mid-Xenoverse 2 (for the time being)  
> (Also ft. a bunch of OCs and self-inserts and stuff there's not much context to except for me and my friends. This is purely self-indulgent if ya don't like it don't read) 
> 
> Also pronoun check for OCS as they appear per chapter:  
> Mars - The TokiToki City hero: They/them

While most days spent in the Time Patrol meant facing the worst and most dangerous evils, it was easy to get used to. Especially for those who ran it, including the Tokitoki hero. So on a day like this, where stepping into the Time Nest gave them an odd feeling, it meant something was wrong. Especially since their partner had yet to meet them.

No sooner had they arrived that Elder Kai came walking up to them asking about the same thing.

“Hmm? Trunks isn’t with you?”

“What? No, I thought he was here, isn’t he?” Mars looked around the Time Nest’s interior for a second, then facing back to the old Kai.

“Not that I’m aware of. I can’t seem to find him. Not that I searched too thoroughly mind you, I thought he’d be with you.”

Mars hummed in thought before looking to the Time Vault.

“Does the Supreme Kai of Time know anything?”

“Not exactly. Perhaps we should start looking. This gives me a bad feeling.”

Nodding in response, they split in the opposite direction he faced, hoping to find answers in the Time Vault.

And sure enough, stepping inside they breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing their partner looking over at something on the table below. Though he never turned to greet them, instead as they drew closer they noticed how intently he was watching whatever his eyes were currently fixated on.

It was only when they brushed his shoulder that he jumped, turning his head to see them.

“Mars! I’m sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s okay! I didn’t mean to startle you. What’s got you so entranced?”

The unsteady smile he gave faltered for a more forlorn one and they didn’t even have to ask to know why. Instead, they quietly stood at his side and looked over the scroll on the table, sure enough, showing the details of Future Gohan’s last stand against the evil androids of the future timeline.

As the scene turned to show a much younger Trunks searching the wreckage, Mars instinctively reached and held Trunks’ hand in theirs, who gave a tight squeeze, despite how it was shaking. But looking at his face, the only emotion he let through was through his distant blue eyes, and the occasional spike in his ki that they could only sense.

As the scene faded again, he carefully closed the scroll with an unsteady hand.

“Trunks…”

He shook his head, holding the scroll close to his chest a moment before setting it back down on the table.

“I’m alright. I just….I still wish I could’ve done more.”

He gave another squeeze to their hand and they came around to hug him.

“You did a lot, Trunks. It’s because of you everyone’s alive here and now, and he got to live a wonderful life, with a husband, kids and everything.” They spoke with their head laying on his shoulder.

They could feel him nod, and hum softly.

“You’re right. If it weren’t for mom’s time machine….”

“Well, I can’t say I approve of building a machine that can fiddle around with history.”

Elder Kai’s sudden appearance with the clearing of his throat made the two part and look up as he and the Supreme Kai of Time descended from the entrance.

“I suppose there’s no use crying over spilled milk.” The old Kai spoke again, earning a nudge from the other Kai.

Trunks was about to speak again when a sudden wave of energy made itself aware to all of them, even more so to Trunks as he felt the realization and horror of it wash over him as his head snapped in the direction of the scroll he’d just laid down. Just as quickly did the others turn to see the billowing smoke and dark aura that now emitted from it.

“No….no not this history. No this one too!” Trunks said, eyes widening as he ran and held it. Before he could open to see what wicked alteration was made to his history, the Supreme Kai of Time ran up to him, holding a hand over it.

“Trunks!” she said, earning looks from all in the room. A moment of tense silence hung between the two, as the Supreme Kai of Time grasped the scroll I his hand.

“You…..understand, right?” she asked. He looked around the room at the others who gave him concerned looks, and he was able to somewhat calm his emotions.

“I do.” He finally breathed out, letting her take the scroll from his hands. It felt as if he’d suddenly lost all power, he’d already knew there was nothing _he_ could do about this, despite how much he wanted to. Instead, he watched as his partner walked up and took it from the Supreme Kai’s hands before walking up to him and placing their free hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll fix this, I promise.” They said. He held the hand on his shoulder, nodding.

“I know. Good luck.”

Within moments, they and the scroll that sent them disappeared, and he could only watch their actions from the Time Vault, and within moments did the alterations make themselves clear.

As Gohan flew around the destroyed city, his eyes laid upon an android unfamiliar to him, but all too familiar to the rest. Android 16 stood with a dark aura, and it was clear what the challenge here would be as Mars touched down behind the half-saiyan warrior.

Or so they had thought.

“16? He doesn’t belong in this timeline.” Trunks wondered aloud, audible through the communicator in Mars’ ear. “I-it doesn’t matter, just protect Gohan!” he said

“Gotcha” Mars responded, throwing a spare ki blast that knocked back the corrupted android.

“You’re really strong! Thanks…I had no idea there were any decent fighters left. I thought if there were, I would’ve noticed by now.” Gohan spoke, dodging and throwing his own ki blasts at the android.

“I’m not exactly from around here.” Mars chuckled.

The fight itself was tough, and Trunks felt a small swell of joy seeing his partner and his mentor sharing quips and starting to fight in sync. As much as he knew it wasn’t a sight he thought he’d ever see, it was a welcomed one nonetheless.

However, as the fight seemed to ramp down, with 16 far outnumbered and outmatched, a real threat made its appearance, and Trunks felt his stomach drop. Just as 16 had been laid down, another figure appeared where he’d stood. The sudden rush of ki sensed by the two fighters also showed them their new opponent, though it was one only half of them knew.

Mira, the damned creation of the demon Towa stood before them, power surging much higher than last the Time Patrol had seen.

“Mira! No! This is bad!” Trunks growled.

“So….Gohan…You’re just full of hidden potential, aren’t you?” he finally spoke.

“What…who are you?” Gohan asked, aghast at the sudden appearance of yet another malicious foe.

“It doesn’t matter, he’s bad news, guard yourself!” Mars yelled to him, though their action caused them to miss a sudden attack that sent them flying.

“Fine fuel to further my evolution.” Mira continued, as if no one had interrupted him.

The fight became one more brutal, and less a winning battle than before despite the uneven numbers. Even the Kais seemed to get anxious.

“There’s no way they’re strong enough to beat Mira, not after that fight with 16!” Elder Kai shrieked.

If that wasn’t enough to send Trunks’ heart racing, Mira’s next words were certainly the breaking point.

“Fools…..I’ll put you out of your misery very soon.”

“Mars….! Gohan…..! They’ll…! No!” Trunks gasped out. He couldn’t even bear to finish the thought. Looking around his eyes caught the scrolls on the table, all from his history. Looking again he noticed the Kais’ eyes were not on him. If he was fast enough…

Several thoughts swam and rushed through his head, the choices, the changes, the consequences. But with another look at the losing fight going on…..

 ** _“DAMN IT!”_** he finally screamed, lunging forward and grabbing the scroll before booking it out of the Time Vault.

“H-Hey!”

“What are you doing Trunks!? Stop it!”

He ignored the cries of the deities behind him and instead held the scroll out in front of him, using it to go back and join the fight in person. He knew he shouldn’t be, he knew it was wrong, but consequences be damned if it meant saving his boyfriend and his mentor from an untimely demise.

He hadn’t even noticed he’d already powered up to Super Saiyan in his fury, and all he needed to do was send a blast in Mira’s direction to get his attention.

It did more than that, as Mira was knocked back by the sudden blast he was unprepared for.

“You’re not going to get your way today Mira!” Trunks yelled as he flew beside the other two fighters.

“Ah, Trunks.” Mira chuckled

“Trunks?!” Mars gasped. “What—”

“What are you doing here, I thought I—?!” Gohan spoke, before stopping himself as he gave the man in front of him a closer look. Sure enough, this Trunks was nothing like the 13 year old boy he’d recently left behind. He was dumbfounded as he watched his former pupil start fighting head to head with the demon foe.

“B-but…that can’t be. Wait a minute….you—! Both of you—!”

“There’s no time for this, come on!” Mars flew to Trunks’ aid, likewise fighting Mira with a flurry of kicks and ki blasts. Gohan grew silent but intently followed suit.

But both Time Patrollers heard the frantic voice of the Supreme Kai of Time in their ears.

“What are you doing, Trunks?! Listen to me! You know you can’t do this!”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t abandon them like this!” Trunks responded, standing strong and fighting ferociously against the artificial demon.

“He’s already here, it doesn’t matter, we’ll fix this together!” Mars responded likewise, earning a groan from the Supreme Kai.

“Ugh…You can be so stubborn!

The tide of the battle, now with three against one quickly changed. Soon enough Mira was on the defensive end, growing more and more impatient and sloppy before touching down on the ground with the trio against him.

“Why can’t I beat you? Even against three of you…I am far stronger! I must be!” he growled.

“I won’t let you kill Gohan or my partner!” Trunks yelled, putting an arm defensively in front of the two beside him.

The demon growled in frustration once again, but instead of continuing his assault, he vanished before their eyes. Once his ki was no longer felt, the trio let themselves breathe.

But to couple’s surprise, Gohan walked in front of the two before turning to look them over again.

“Trunks…you came from the future, didn’t you?” he asked.

Trunks, instead of responding, let himself power down and looked to the ground. He couldn’t let anything else slip, especially not here.

Despite his silence however, Gohan smiled.

“So Bulma was able to finish her time machine.”

Trunks kept looking away, but doing so, did not see the hand that came to clasp his shoulder, as Gohan looked down at him with a warm smile.

“I’m really proud of you, Trunks! Look how much you’ve grown!” he said.

Trunks was aghast, almost unable to respond. He quickly nodded and felt a smile break out on his face.

“Th-thanks!”

Gohan nodded likewise, and Mars watched the two with a fond look, and he also gave a smile to them.

“You both saved me here, I thank you for that. But now’s not the time for this. 17 and 18 are attacking the city. I ran into those other guys on the way. I have to go.”

Gohan turned away from the two, and Trunks’ smile instantly fell.

_‘That’s right…..and this time Gohan….you’ll…..’_

He couldn’t even let himself finish the thought once more, and a sudden rush of assurance went through him too fast to stop his next words.

“Gohan! I’ll go with you to fight!”

Both Gohan and Mars were shocked at his outburst, turning to look at him.

“This time….th-this time I won’t hold you back!” he continued, voice clearly wavering.

“What!? What are you saying?! You _KNOW_ you can’t do that Trunks!” the Supreme Kai of time yelled. “If you help out Gohan here, you’ll completely change the course of history!”

“I….I know! But…I…!” Trunks gritted his teeth, looking away from the other two next to him and squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears that threatened to build.

“MARS! You have to stop Trunks!” The Supreme Kai’s voice rang once more, making Mars’ eyes widen in horror at the scenario they weren’t prepared for. Were they supposed to tear the love of their life from the one person who all but raised him?

“Trunks….is there something you want to tell me?” Gohan asked. Mars could hear the shaky breath he took in, eyes still squeezed shut and turned away.

An agonizing silence held the area, as Mars clearly saw Gohan take in the implications, but rather than panic or ask any more, he smiled warmly again, standing in front of Trunks.

“If you’re here, all grown up, then the future is safe, isn’t it? This fight has a real purpose….that’s enough for me.”

Trunks’ eyes opened wide, looking up at the other half-saiyan in a panic.

“No! You can’t, Gohan!” he pleaded, but the other man was unphased.

“It looks like you’ve made a good friend. You wouldn’t wanna leave them behind, would you?” he asked, turning to Mars. Trunks turned to them as well, seeing panic in their eyes that mimicked his own, however for different reasons. No, no he could never leave them behind. But….

Before he could process the thought, Gohan had already turned away, and took off towards the city.

 ** _“GOHAN!”_** He stepped forward, but was held back as Mars grabbed him by the arm. He looked at them again, seeing a more determined face as it was clear they made a decision.

“Trunks—”

“I—no, please. _PLEASE!”_ he begged, voice cracking and more desperate than ever. His entire body shook as they faced him and grasped his other arm.

“Trunks, we have to go!”

“I can’t do this! Not again, please don’t make me choose!” he cried out but his partner shook him slightly.

“We have to go! He’ll die if we don’t!”

Trunks froze, feeling his throat tighten as he looked back at them, bewildered.

“W-what?”

“We have to go after him.” They finished, looking at him with a resolute shine in their eyes as they gave him a smile. “You didn’t think I’d let you do this alone, did you?”

The realization hit him furiously as he pulled them into the tightest hug he could muster, spinning them around for a moment, choking back a sob as he buried his head in their shoulder before pulling away just as quickly.

“Thank you. _Thank you!”_

“WHAT?! NO! YOU TWO CAN’T DO THIS!” The Supreme Kai of Time shrieked at the sudden turn of events. Mars reached over, taking Trunks’ communicator as well as their own out and held them in front of their face.

“Listen, you lose your two best Time Patrollers, or you get a Gohan! Pick one!” they said angrily before crushing them both.

“Mars!” Trunks gasped, looking at his partner as they smiled at him again.

“We’ll see what happens when we get back, for now, let’s go.”

“Right.” Trunks nodded.

The two of them took off in Gohan’s direction, and sure enough found the man standing against the androids, and all three were shocked at the couple’s appearance.

While at the time it would’ve taken everything they had, now the androids were crushed with complete ease. It took almost no time at all, and once it was settled, Gohan looked over at the other two with surprise, but gratitude.

“I can’t believe it! You…we did it.”

“They won’t be hurting this world or anyone in it ever again.” Trunks spoke. 

“You’ve passed my every expectation, I can’t believe how strong you two are!” Gohan said, looking at the other two. “But….I thought you weren’t allowed to be here.”

“Technically we’re not, but some things are worth the trouble.” Mars said. Trunks looked fondly between his partner and mentor, but frowned again as they touched down on solid ground once more.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I’ve made a mess of things….again.” Trunks spoke sheepishly, as the realization of all they’d done set in.

“Is it because you’re here?”

“It’s hard to explain...But, yeah. And I have no idea what this’ll mean for the future…I just couldn’t…..I couldn’t bear to see history plagued by any more unhappiness.” He sighed.

“Trunks…” Gohan said, watching as Mars moved to his protégé’s side, holding his hand comfortingly, causing him to smile. “I really owe one to the both of you, saving me again, and taking out the androids.”

“So, where do we go from here?” Mars pondered.

“I’m not sure….”

“You two could always stay. There’s always room for more strong fighters here.” Gohan suggested. The two perked up but just as quickly drew back.

“But if we do…no one will be left to protect history.” Trunks said. “I don’t regret my decision, but it’s more than just our lives at stake.”

The trio fell quiet again, silently going over possibilities before Mars looked up in thought.

“A rift.”

“What?”

“A rift, like the ones Fu made! They’re not a part of the Book of Beginning and End! If we made one here…”

“…We could keep this history alive without any consequences!” Trunks finished their thought, eyes widening with their epiphany.

“Do you think the Supreme Kai of Time would listen?”

“Do you think she has a choice? There’s no downside! Plus, I’d say we’ve got a bit of a bargaining chip.”

“What’s that?”

“Us!”

Trunks finally let himself laugh for the first time that day, albeit a somewhat nervous one.

“Trunks, we can take him with us.” They said, gesturing to Gohan, who stood a big baffled from their conversation, but smiled nonetheless.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me.” He said. Trunks nodded, putting together the whole plan in his head and smiling.

For the first time…for the first time he’d be able to do the thing he’d wished he could’ve done and save the one person he’d never been able to. And he was going to fight like hell for it to stay that way.


	2. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo heads of the Time Patrol deal with the aftermath of their actions, while Gohan gets a good look at Conton City.

Returning to the Time Nest was a simple matter, both patrollers still held scrolls that’d let them return, along with their third member who looked astonished at the change of scenery.

Both watched as Gohan looked around at the new surroundings.

“What….is this place? It’s certainly not what I expected.”

“This is the Time Nest, it’s where we’re able to look back and protect history. More specifically in there, the Time Vault.” Trunks said, pointing to the large building in front of them. However, as they all looked forward, they saw the two figures who ran out of it, one looking much angrier than the other.

“Oh boy…” Mars muttered, an anxious smile growing on their face.

“DO YOU TWO HAVE _ANY_ IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” the Supreme Kai of Time yelled at the couple, before looking aghast at the new face who joined them.

“WH—You BROUGHT HIM WITH YOU?!” she spoke in a harsh whisper, despite being clearly audible to all three. Gohan, now looking somewhat concerned by his involvement.

“Please, I may not be aware of what’s going on, but these two did a good thing, is that so wrong?” he asked.

“Yes! They completely changed history! You’re not supposed to be here!” she pointed an accusatory finger at the taller man before realizing the implications of her statement and drawing back with a guilty look.

Elder Kai, who’d been much slower to reach the group heaved a heavy breath before pointing to the three as well.

“She’s absolutely right! It may have been a good deed but it wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place!”

“But we can let it happen, we can let it stay!” Mars argued, causing the kais to look at them.

“Absolutely not! You’re going against everything we’ve been working to do!”

“But what about the Time Rifts? It wasn’t a problem changing history then?”

“That was different, this isn’t a Time Rift!”

“But what if it was?” Trunks added. “What if we created one here, so it’s not a problem to the rest of history?”

The Supreme Kai looked as if she was about to argue again, but took a moment to think about it.

“Creating a Time Rift…something we’re supposed to prevent…”

“History’s been altered before, and it’s all worked out in the end. Trunks saving Goku and the Z Fighters, bringing the lot of them and others here to help train and patrol. Why is this any different?” Mars asked. Elder Kai, seeing the other deity seriously considering the proposal gasped and stomped his foot on the ground.

“No, no! Absolutely not! You can’t possibly be considering this!”

“Quiet old man! I’m the one who gets to decide these things! I don’t see _you_ with the title of Supreme Kai!” she yelled back.

“You…saved them? My father’s alive?” Gohan quietly questioned, making himself known in the conversation once more.

“Him and everyone else, at least in the timeline Trunks saved.” Mars said, patting the taller half-saiyan’s arm. The older man looked about ready to burst into tears, giving a happy look to his pupil who mirrored his expression.

“You did all that Trunks?”

“I did. Even if it messed things up here, it means there’s a time where all of us are alive and well.”

Gohan grasped his student’s shoulder once more, giving an emotional squeeze rather than an audible ‘thank you,’ as if doing so would only well him up even more.

The Supreme Kai of Time gave another guilty look at the trio who looked so happy together, and heaved a reluctant sigh.

“I suppose……if a rift _were_ to appear here…I wouldn’t mind it all that much.”

The other four looked shocked at her statement, the trio looking hopeful while the other deity looked pale.

“Wh-WHAT?! You can’t seriously—!”

“I said _QUIET_ old man!” she argued back. “ _I’M_ certainly not going to be the one who makes it, just that well….i-if there was one I wouldn’t know! I don’t care, it’s fine!” she crossed her arms and turned away.

Trunks was the one who stepped forward to her, bowing somewhat in respect and thanks.

“Thank you Supreme Kai of Time! You won’t regret this, I promise!”

“I’d better not. Just—don’t tell anyone about this okay! _Especially not someone like Lord Beerus._ ” She muttered the last part under her breath, but the swordsman still nodded and turned back to the other two as the deities made their way back to the Time Vault.

The Trio now turned to each other, still in surprise from how things turned out, but now more resilient than ever.

“Alright, now…how are we going to create the rift…”

“Don’t ask me, you two seem to be the one’s who know this stuff.” Gohan chuckled.

“We don’t have to be the ones to do it, remember? Fu can make one, I’m sure he’d be happy to!” Mars added.

“Do you even know where he is?” Trunks question led his partner to get a sudden sheepish look, laughing nervously.

“Well, yeah kinda. I can’t say without getting him in trouble though.”

“That’s fine, it was already decided he was free to do what he wanted unless it disrupted anything for us.”

“Who is this again? Another friend of yours?” Gohan asked.

“Sort of! Regardless he can help us.” Mars answered. “I can go get him, in the meantime, you should show Gohan around the city Trunks!”

“The city?” the older man questioned, but his pupil perked up at the thought.

“That’s right! I almost forgot, you’ve never seen Conton City! You’ll see a lot of familiar faces there.”

As the two were about to turn to make it back to the entrance gate, the clearing of his throat caught them by surprise.

“You know, as good as it is to see both of you so excited, it’d be _nice_ if someone introduced me to the people I don’t know as well. Especially ones you seem so close to.” He smirked gesturing to the shortest of the three, causing both patrollers to flush red in the face.

“O-oh! Right I almost forgot…” Trunks said. The other patroller walked up to the taller man , offering a hand to shake.

“Sorry about that, we got so caught up in things, especially in the fight. I’m Mars, I’m from Earth, like you!” the older man gratefully shook their hand, nodding at their explanation. Trunks looked to them as well, feeling his face heat up a bit.

“See, Mars is my….well, my _partner._ I-in more ways than one.” He explained.

Seeing his pupil grow so nervous he laughed and shook his head.

“You don’t have to explain all that. I could tell just by looking at the two of you. And hey, if it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t imagine a better partner for you than someone as strong and just as what I’ve seen from them.”

Mars chuckled and rubbed the back of their neck.

“Gosh, thanks! That really means a lot from you of all people!”

“You’ve already met the Supreme Kai of Time back there, she runs the Time Nest and oversees all of history. So you can see why she was mad when we sort of changed it.”

“Haha, I can get that. Kais, history changes, it’s all a lot to take in. Anyway, where’s this city you two were talking about?” he asked again. The other two perked up, starting to walk towards the gate again, with him now following after.

“It’s right through here, don’t worry! We’ll explain everything to you as much as we can. There’s a lot you’ve missed out on.”

Passing through the gate and stepping out into the city, Gohan looked around in awe at the place in front of him.

“This, is Conton City. It’s where everything in the Time Patrol operates.”

“The Time Patrol?”

“That’s us! It’s what we call ourselves.” Mars said, pointing to the emblem on their jacket. He nodded, his hand resting thoughtfully on his chin before looking out on the city again.

Dozens of patrollers of all shapes, sizes and colors walked the streets, from the plaza to the outer reaches of the distinct districts, and Gohan was looking around bewildered.

Even more so was he surprised when the occasional patroller came up to him, greeting him and the other two with excitement.

“Wow, are you guys like celebrities here?” he asked as they walked along.

“Sort of, but you more than us! You’re an important figure in history. Everyone knows how hard you’ve fought and how much you’ve done, in every version of you.” Mars explained.

“Every version? Right, you said there was a timeline where the androids never killed anyone, right? That must be really something.” He said.

As the group was about to part ways and split up, the sudden appearance of another notable ki appeared, flying up to the group, leading the eldest of them to nearly freeze in shock as Son Goku landed in front of them.

“Hey you guys! You’re finally here again! I heard someone big showed up, and I thought I sensed them but only felt—”

“Dad?”

Goku grew uncharacteristically quiet as the two patrollers parted to let the two Son men face each other. He looked over the other man curiously before his eyes grew wide with realization.

“Huh? Gohan? Is that you?!” he gasped.

“Dad! I can’t believe it!” Tears welled up in his eyes, walking up closer to his father.

“Oh! You’re the Gohan from Trunks’ time aren’t you?”

“Th-that’s right! I can’t believe I’m really seeing you again. I thought—I thought I wouldn’t be able to.” He said tearfully as the older Saiyan smiled at him.

“I’m glad to see you survived, son. I thought things didn’t turn out that way, but since you’re here I know they did!”

Gohan looked at the other two who looked just as tearful at his reunion.

“It’s all thanks to them. I don’t think I could ever repay them for this.”

“Huh? That’s silly! But in the meantime, I wanna see how strong you’ve gotten!” Mars sighed, jokingly shaking their head.

“We just got back from a big fight, let the man rest a minute!” they said.

“That’s Goku after all.” Trunks laughed. Gohan however shook his head.

“There’s nothing I’d like to do more, trust me.”

The couple smiled before Mars gasped looking frantic.

“Ah! You guys do that! I almost forgot I was supposed to get Fu!” they said. Trunks chuckled and nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a place for them. You go on ahead!” he reassured them.

They nodded back and took off in another direction, while the three Saiyans looked back to each other.

“Really? Thanks Trunks! I can’t really figure the time travel stuff out, and the Supreme Kai of Time said I’m not really supposed to without an escort.” He laughed.

“It’s no problem, come on there’s a place here that let’s us use time machines to go wherever we want.”

The three saiyans made their way to the Time Machine Station as the one who’d already split off head to a somewhat solitude area of the city. It was hard to search for his ki, but they knew the area the scientist tended to favor.

They’d been looking around diligently before noticing the spike in energy as a figure made his way towards them.

“Z!”

Seeing them wave, Soldier Z landed in front of them and looked around, noting they were unaccompanied.

“I thought you were with someone.” He said flatly.

“Hi to you too bud. I was, but not right now.” Ignoring their sarcasm, he instead crossed his arms and walked alongside them.

“People are talking about Gohan showing up with you. What happened?”

“It’s a long story. But I’m looking for Fu, you seen him?”

Wordlessly, the other man pointed behind them, as a figure jumped down from the shadows.

“Boo!”

They’d hardly jumped, instead turning around to see the one they’d been looking for grinning humorously.

“Come on, did I get you guys at all?” Fu whined.

“We’re the two people here who can sense you, you’ll have to try harder than that.” Mars replied, crossing their arms. He mimicked their pose, hovering around them curiously.

“You guys are no fun. So, what brings you to _my_ neck of the woods?”

“Thing is…eheh. I actually need a favor.”

The demon clapped his hands together gleefully as Soldier Z looked on questioningly.

“OOOOH! Now THIS is a first! What’s the occasion?”

“Trust me, you’ll enjoy this one. See, I sorta…need you to make a rift.”

The demon’s eyes now sparkled mischievously as he grinned down at them.

“REALLY!? Oh, oh boy! I knew this day would come! I mean not really, you guys normally seem to be against it but STILL! This is GREAT!”

He seemed eager as ever before hesitating as his smile faltered.

“Wait, are you even allowed? OOH are you finally going rogue?! I mean you’ve done it before, right?” he gestured to Z, who only glared in response.

“No, no! Nothing like that….this time! Well….actually, sort of? N-nevermind! Supreme Kai of Time said it was okay, as long as it didn’t disrupt anything further.”

“’Further.’ You changed history.” Soldier Z remarked. 

The scientist now gasped dramatically, almost swooning.

“You CHANGED history! ON _PURPOSE?!_ Oh be still my beating artificial heart, you guys really do get me.”

Mars laughed at the both blunt and overdramatic reactions.

“Well…yeah. But we need to be lowkey about this, okay? We need a rift to protect _this_ history we’ve created so it doesn’t affect the Book of the Beginning and End.”

“Can do, amigo! It’s been way too long since I had proper fun like this. But I need all the details first, how did it start? How did it end? Can I make more fun changes?”

“Alright, alright I’ll explain everything. Let’s do it on the way though, it’s a been a crazy day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New character Pronoun check!
> 
> Austin - Present Gohan's husband (only mentioned): He/him  
> Soldier Z - A mysterious stoic Time Patroller: He/him


	3. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Future) Gohan does some long-needed catching up with his father, and learns of the new Saiyan limit, as well as his family.

On the other side of things, Trunks watched from afar as Gohan sparred with his newly reunited father in a desert far from the city. Gohan, of course was nowhere near the strength of Goku in the current time, but he was still strong enough to hold his own, which Goku could easily see.

“I can’t believe the me in your time stopped training. I thought I’d be doing it all my life!”

“That’s what I thought too, but you really wanted to be a scholar. But I’m still glad you got to do what you wanted! Well, the other you I mean.” Goku replied. The two stopped their fighting as the conversation went on.

“I see….It is something I wanted to do, I just never thought I’d get the chance. But now that everything’s changed, I’m not sure what to do.”

Trunks stood as the other two Saiyans landed.

“Well maybe you could train a bit more. You’ve gotten really strong, but you’ve got a lot to learn now that you’re here! If you want to I mean.” Goku said.

“Thanks, dad. But with peace restored I think I might need a little break. You’re a dozen times stronger than even before. But I’ll surpass your level one day, don’t you worry!”

The elder Saiyan grinned and laughed happily.

“I’d like to see that! Though it might take some convincing to bring you with me and Vegeta to Whis’ planet.

“You’re training on another planet now?”

“Oh sure! And you wouldn’t believe how strong we’ve gotten. I haven’t even been able to show you half of my new strength.”

With that, Goku stepped a ways back from the other two, yelling as his ki charged tremendously.

“I-I can’t even feel him anymore, yet he’s right in front of me!” Gohan gasped, watching as his father’s ki reached godlike numbers until his aura broke into a bright blue, along with is hair and eyes.

“This is called Super Saiyan Blue! It’s one of the highest peaks you can go. It took me a long time to learn, but I bet you’ll get to it in no time!”

Gohan stood aghast at his father’s newfound power, turning wide-eyed to Trunks.

“Can you do that too?”

The youngest Saiyan laughed.

“Not exactly, but I can do the step below it.” He as well stood away from his mentor and powered up, aura growing sharp and fiery as Gohan likewise couldn’t feel his ki anymore either. With a flash, he went from Super Saiyan to a new form, hair and eyes shining a bright red hue.

“This is called Super Saiyan God. You need some help to get it, but if we get some other Saiyans you could even reach it now.”

Gohan looked bewildered between the two of them.

“Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue; hell if you’d told me this before I’d never believed it. But I’m not surprised with how far you’ve been able to push the barrier.”

The other two powered down, walking back up to him.

“You’ve both come so far, you have no idea how happy this makes me, or how proud I am.”

Trunks smiled tearfully, while Goku grinned proudly.

“You’ll get it too one day son! You just need a good teacher.”

“I’ve had the best, dad. You, and Piccolo, and the others.”

“Oh! Speaking of the others! I bet they’d be glad to see you!” Goku said.

“Really? I’d love to! If that’s alright?”

Trunks nodded before having a realization that made him suddenly nervous.

“Um, Goku, could I talk to you a second?”

The other two looked confused, but the elder man nodded as he took him a small ways away.

“While I want to see Gohan reunited with everyone more than anyone, if Beerus finds out we disrupted history on purpose, I’m not sure what he’d do; the Supreme Kai of Time warned me about this.”

Goku looked blankly for a moment before laughing and patting him on the back.

“Don’t worry about that! I won’t tell! And he let you change history before, right?”

“That’s different Goku, this time we really did something big when we knew we weren’t supposed to. You have to promise no one tells Lord Beerus that we changed history like this.”

Still not taking the situation as seriously as he’d liked, Goku still smiled gleefully, giving a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry about it, Trunks! Besides, I’m much stronger than last time I fought him, if he tried anything I’d be able to hold him back.”

“That’s not as reassuring as you think it is.” Trunks sighed. Still, it was a better answer than he’d hoped for, though he doubted the man’s ability to hold a secret. But he was somewhat right, with Goku at his level now, along with his father and the other Saiyans, maybe they’d stand stronger than Beerus if the occasion ever came; though truthfully he hoped it never would.

Gohan stood patiently as the other two walked back to him. However before either future saiyan could speak, Goku hummed and hit his fist in his hand.

“Oh! Do you think he could meet Austin? That’d be super weird right?”

_“Goku!”_

Trunks looked shocked at Goku’s sudden question before Gohan perked up.

“Who’s that? Another friend?”

The other two looked at him sheepishly before Trunks ran a hand through his hair.

“How do I explain _this_.” He hummed anxiously. Gohan looked at them curiously as his father laughed.

“Is it someone important?”

“Well, to you, yeah. See…he’s sort of, someone you meet and, well, suffice to say you guys are really close in the main timeline.”

“I’ll say! You guys are married and have a bunch of kids!”

_“GOKU!”_

Gohan gasped, dumbfounded by the newest revelation.

“I—I have kids? I’m married?! Who is he? Can I meet them?” he said, at first tearful but growing more joyful with every word.

“Now we’ve done it. They don’t come to Conton too often, but yeah, I’m sure we could work something out. If, well you’re okay with meeting a different version of yourself. Trust me it’s not as weird as it sounds.”

“Two Gohans! Now wouldn’t that be something.” Goku wondered aloud.

“So long as it doesn’t cause any problems, yeah I’d love to! Seeing myself in a world so different…it’d be weird, but I’d still like to see it, especially my family.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem at all. We should also make our way back and see what’s going on.” Trunks said. The other two nodded, and within a few moments the three were back in the city.

“We should head to the Time Nest and see how things are going there, hopefully Mars found who they were looking for without any trouble.”

“Huh? Who were you guys looking for?” Goku asked. Trunks shook his head and forced a nervous laugh.

“It’s Time Patrol stuff Goku, you wouldn’t get it, don’t worry.”

As clear as it was he was hiding something, Goku just crossed his arms with a pout, causing his future son to laugh.

“I guess I can get back to training here, though it’s not as fun as fighting bad guys.”

Making their way through the plaza, they were stopped when they heard young voices yelling at the sight of them.

“Hey! There they are!”

“Daddy!”

In an instant kid Trunks and Goten appeared in front of the two, with the latter giving his father a quick hug.

“Hi! I almost forgot you guys were here.”

“We were in the hero colosseum all day!” Goten cheerfully replied.

“Yeah, and we whooped everyone’s butts!” little Trunks added.

The two kids then looked curiously at the newest of the group, who looked just as curiously back.

“Hey! Gohan!” Goten said happily, rushing up to the man, who was taken aback. The child stopped short however, looking up at him.

“Wait, you’re not Gohan. But you look just like him!” 

“I-I’m Gohan. I think you’ve got me confused for another one though.” He replied awkwardly.

“Oh! Right! You don’t know do you? This is Goten, he’s your little brother!”

Gohan looked down at the child, and sure enough the resemblance was striking.

“You look just like dad.” He said, kneeling down at his level. “I may not be the same Gohan, but I’m still him. I never knew I had a brother.”

The child smiled at him.

“I never knew I had two!”

“You’re the Gohan from the future with future me, right?” kid Trunks asked.

“That’s right, and you must be Trunks, I remember when this one used to be that little.” He laughed, ruffling the young boy’s hair.

The older Trunks laughed as well, watching as his younger counterpart groaned and pushed his hand away.

As he stood up, Gohan was surprised when his little brother reached up and hugged him, looking up with joyful eyes.

“Are you gonna come home with us?” he asked.

Both Goku and Trunks were taken aback by the question, though Gohan didn’t seem to notice.

“Not this time, I’m sure mom already has too many mouths to feed, and I have a version of her too. One I really need to see now that things have been taken care of.”

The young boy pouted for a moment, causing the elder brother to gently ruffle his hair.

“I’ll visit though, promise.”

At this he perked up and smiled happily.

“Alright, I think we’d better go, they’ve got Time Patrol stuff to do, and Chichi’ll kill me if I keep these two past bedtime.” Goku said, picking up the young boys under each arm as they laughed and squirmed.

“I’d hardly call it very late.” Gohan remarked.

“Oh, see that’s the thing about Conton, the daytime never changes here. It’s weird but we’ve sorta gotten used to it.”

“Huh. Seems there’s a lot of things I need to get used to.”

“Alright, we’ll see you guys later!” Goku said, as he struggled to raise a hand up to his head without dropping one of the kids. Seconds later he disappeared, making Gohan jump in surprise.

“Dad!?” he gasped.

“Oh! That’s just Instant Transmission, don’t worry they’re fine!”

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief, putting his hand to his chest.

“Right, I almost forgot about that, it’s been so long.”

As the two stood there for a moment, yet another person made themselves known, as they saw him walk up to the two. Though this time Gohan couldn’t place exactly who this new figure was.

“You’re back.” He said as he reached the two.

“Soldier Z, what’re you doing here?” Trunks asked. The other man looked from him, to the older half-saiyan, silently looking him over.

“Mars told me to get you when you got back.”

“You must be another friend, but I don’t think we’ve met.” Gohan responded, extending his hand.

Z looked at him with an unreadable expression, making him a bit nervous as he drew his hand back. Instead the other man silently turned away, flying off in the direction of the Time Nest’s Gate.

“Did I say something wrong?” Gohan asked. Trunks shook his head.

“No, that’s just Soldier Z. Sorry, he’s not the most sociable. He did seem to notice you though.” He responded.

Gohan took note of that along with everything he’d seen that day, as he and Trunks likewise made their way back to the Time Nest.

He sure had a lot to learn about this new world.


End file.
